Brutal Truth - Evolution Through Revolution
April 14th
Highlights: Get a Therapist...Spare the World, Powder Burn, Global Good Guy

It really sucks that I have to put this album so low, because by all means, it's a pretty good album. It's just that it's very average for someone who is well versed in the grind/death metal world. While Brutal Truth is known for having some of the best grindcore releases around, Evolution Through Revolution just seems to be complacent by going through the numbers in creating an album. One thing I noticed, which kind of seems silly, is that the songs themselves on average are too long for typical grindcore songs. They seem to lose their punch quickly. If they were more towards the death metal side of the spectrum, maybe it'd be for the better, but it's not, and they just sound too strung out.

But the Brutal Truth you know and love is still alive on this CD. Kevin Sharpe still has great vocals that are a staple of the genre, and a couple of gems shine through. It's just too bad that the music to fit the vocals sounds like it's something that's already been done before and done better by either Napalm Death or Pig Destroyer. Again, this isn't a bad album, just extremely underwhelming. Show this CD to new Brutal Truth fans to get them into their older, better releases.

I'm a fan of this type of black metal usually, but something went wrong on this release. A band like Wolves In The Throne Room creates epic soundscapes with their music. Xasthur here just kind of uncomfortably noodles in and out of several different types of this kind of black metal that he usually is a master of creating. The album doesn't create a mindset for the listener other than waiting to hear the big payoff, which ultimately never comes. And the production is the other big tiff. Although Xasthur is known for his bad production, it ultimately holds the music back and keeps me from really getting into the music and losing myself in it. Bad production can't be the only reason that happens: the LLN had notoriously bad production, but all of those releases had heart. Xasthur didn't put his heart into this album.

That's not to say this release is without its merits, though. Maze Of Oppression does a good job (halfway through) of creating a creepy/beautiful atmosphere. But enjoy the vocals while you can. They are extremely absent more than they should be on this album. Masquerade Of Incisions is another good one, assuming you last through the long intro. All Reflections Drained should be viewed as a more experimental side to Xasthur. Although this was a miss, I have no doubt Malefic will get back on track soon.

If you weren't a fan of Sunn O))) before, this album probably won't change your position. But if you are a fan of Sunn O))), you'd probably like it. But I'm put off because it is more experimental than it is drone. Yes, it's interesting to see how they incorporate a choir and stringed and horn instruments into their music, and yes it can create a unique and creepy vibe through the music (what Sunn O))) album DOESN'T?), but there is little in the way of heavy drone/doom in this album. Hunting & Gathering (Cydonia) is extremely heavy, and Attila Csihar's vocals are inhuman as ever, but something seems to be lacking. A layer underneath the music that gives it its' foundation, perhaps.

This album will be the dividing point among Sunn O))) fans: fans who like them because of crushing drone, or fans that like them for more experimental noise. The album, in my opinion, would be much more in favor of the experimental fan. Although the drone is there, it's not nearly enough to satisfy the crushing power you'd expect from this crazy group.

Suffocation is a great band, there's no doubt about that. But whereas their self-titled album a few years ago was filled to the brim with brutality and unrelenting death metal, it seems the legendary band has taken a step back on this album unfortunately. They seem to want to add the "brutal" to their "death metal" genre with this release, because it seems like the mid-paced riffing of bands like Devourment have become the focus, rather than the fast paced stuff from their past albums. That's not a huge loss, though. The songs themselves are alright, albeit disappointing in the long run. Some of the guitarists just seem bored throughout the album.

Come Hell Or High Priest, on the other hand, sounds like a staple Suffocation song through and through. The guitars and drums work here to induce as much headbanging as possible. Images Of Purgatory is another neck-breaker with awesome solos. However, it's not enough to bring this album to greatness. It sits comfortably with being "good" and maybe that's alright for Suffocation right now.

Hey, it can't be all metal all the time, can it? Whole Wheat Bread created a pretty addicting pop/punk album, although it is paper-thin. Although criticizing a pop/punk album for depth seems stupid, the songs on this album will make you jump, make you smile, but they don't provoke very much else. And, honestly, that's what I expected from this album. Bombs Away is an a dark anthem for street life and songs like Girlfriend Like This remind Whole Wheat Bread's audience just how junior high they can be in their songwriting: "I don't care if it burns when I piss/I ain't never had no girlfriend like this/I don't care what nobody say/If you don't like her, you're probably gay"

The only large fault I can find with this album is that the actual "punk" moments on this record are far and few between. While Lower Class Man and I Can't Think might induce some pretty awesome circle pits, compared to their last album, this is not a punk album. It seems Whole Wheat Bread might be stretching the pop/"punk" title a bit thin, but for now, it works.

Also: there's a song called "New Age Southern Baptist Nigga From Da Hood". "I'm down with Jesus/He is my homeboy/He smoke the reefer/He break the law"

Goatwhore - Carving Out The Eyes Of God
June 23rd
Highlights: Apocalyptic Havoc, Carving Out The Eyes Of God, To Mourn And Forever Wander Through Forgotten Doorways

Goatwhore haven't released a bad album yet, and this is probably their most accesible. They defintely put the "death" in blackened death metal with this. The album opens up with a definite neck-breaker and does a pretty good job at keeping that pace up throughout the whole album. I will admit that unless you're pretty familiar with Goatwhore, the vocals could take a little getting used to. Not quite black metal, not quite death metal, and at times kind of uncomfortably in the middle. But the music makes up for it. The intensity and aggression is pretty much at an 11 the entire time. They do slow it down on a couple songs, but those songs are great as well.

However, that's kind of why this album is a let-down after a while. The songs sound way too much alike. You can definitely lose your place in the album if you aren't paying attention. It would be nice to have a little bit more melodic places, maybe throw in a couple face-melting solos, but they're absent. Not a bad album at all, though. In fact, one of the better ones from Goatwhore.

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34.

Havok - Burn
June 2nd
Highlights: Morbid Symmetry, Ivory Tower

What do you get when you combine early Testament, Exodus, and Metallica? Havok. But what do you get when you don't add anything to make it your own creation? Something uninspiring and forgettable. Even if you're a fan of the recent "nu-thrash" movement like I am, Havok definitely does not impress with their latest album. It seems like while they can create a standard thrash metal song and they have the technicality, it's almost as if Gama Bomb and Bonded By Blood have already done it before and done it so much better. If you're looking for a solid recent thrash album, Havok isn't too far near the top of the pile, but it will serve its purpose as to what a "nu-thrash" album should have.

One thing I can't stand about this album though is the vocals. Stop trying to sound like Paul Baloff! Only he could do it! In the end, there's just nothing too special about these songs. They follow the standard thrash formula and they don't make an effort to really inject it with any of their own personality.

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33.

Muse - The Resistance
September 14th
Highlights: Resistance, United States Of Eurasia/Collateral Damage, Unnatural Selection

Disappointment of the year for me. If any other band had released The Resistance, I'm sure I'd feel completely different about it, but I can't help but compare this to the near-perfect Black Holes And Revelations that they released in 2006. While there are some songs that remind you just how rocking that Muse can be (United States of Eurasia, Unnatural Selection), it seems that the band decided to emulate more than their fair share of Queen and David Bowie on The Resistance. Don't expect any amazing solos or chilling songs to be everywhere on this album like they have been in the past. And I understand that Muse is not a metal band, but even Queen had some amazing and hard rockin' songs. Guiding Light and Undisclosed Desires really do feel like they'd be more at home on a Bowie album and the Exogenesis triplet doesn't really go anywhere.

But, Muse still knows how to write brilliant songs. Unnatural Selection is one of the best songs of the year by far, and fans of past Muse albums will be happy with United States of Eurasia and Resistance. This CD may not be as in-your-face as Black Holes...was, but it certainly tries.

You'd be hard-pressed to find another release this year that has barely any depth but succeeds so much in making memorable songs and will induce a smile on every fan of pop/punk than P-Pop-High School. The songs are standard punk rock songs with lyrics covering the deep subjects such as learning Japanese, zombies, duct tape, autographs, ninja's, and people named Mike. Beautiful Sundae's lyrics are mostly just the day's of the week sang over a standard punk song. But it's these reasons why Peelander-Z is awesome. They make simple and fun music that most anyone can enjoy if they have an open mind. Just don't expect to find something mind-blowing about their music.

Warning: If you don't like the early work's of Carcass, stay away. General Surgery pretty much has their name tattooed on all of their work. But if you're okay with a bit of Carcass worship, you'll find a pretty good dose of death metal and grindcore here. There's also a surprisngly good amount of "groove" on this album as well.

The first listen will probably leave you wanting more. This is just a Carcass-inspired death metal record after all. But General Surgery may have made the album Carcass would've made this year had they not broken up. I can hear Carcass in the music, but also Impaled, Bolt Thrower, Dismember, and any almagamation of awesome death metal bands. This is old-school death metal through and through, but the sound has been updated a good bit with great production, great solos, and a great atmosphere created throughout the album. If they could create more memorable songs, General Surgery could easily release a Top 10 album next time.

This is by no means a bad album, even when compared to old school Kreator, but it seems that Kreator has fallen into pattern of releasing albums that are good, but don't strive for greatness. Most of this album is "Hey, we're Kreator, we can still make some good metal albums to make up for that terrible stuff in the 90's!", with a few moments of brilliance and a few moments of embarassment thrown in for good measure.

Some of the lyrics are laughably bad ("Now this conflict deep inside/My hate I can no longer hide") but if you can put the cheese factor aside, there are truly some riffs and solo's here to make the old Kreator of yesteryear proud. Especially devestating are "Destroy What Destroys You" and "Demon Prince" whereas "Radical Resistance" is probably the closest you'll get to a straight-up thrash attack on this album, and what an attack it is. Kreator is in a comfortable position with this release, but I hope they can improve upon this good release.

I'm a sucker for this nu-thrash, and Mantic Ritual does a good job at it. Not to mention that I think Dave Watson has the best vocals for a band like this. He can hit notes but also shriek approvingly at times. There's talent all around this band. All parts of the band come together to make songs like "Executioner" and "Death And Destruction" extremely memorable. Actually, the whole fist half of this CD is pretty much amazing. Solo's come at you a mile a minute.

But the same really can't be said about the second half. Sure, it's good, but you can really lose yourself in this album if you're not careful, and not in the good way I mean. Starting with "Souls", the songs are good, but just nothing too memorable. Still a great CD. With some tweaks, could've been far and away the album of the year.

I'll say it again and again and again and again and again: vocalists in metalcore bands should strive to sound like Trevor Strnad. Best vocalist in that genre, even though I'm going to go ahead and say TBDM are barely "core" anymore, instead fully embracing the melodic death metal style. At The Gates would be proud of this album for sure. It's just as fast and crazy as any of their other albums. The addition of Ryan Knight (ex-Arsis) makes all the difference in the world. But, this album isn't too special. It's pretty much what you'd expect from this band at this stage in their life, but maybe that's precisely what they need. Non-fans of this band should even check it out.

This album starts out with a bang. These first couple of songs are heavy, and why I love sludge metal. The lyrics are pretty great throughout as well: "I put my hand to your heart/And let the bullet burn your blood/You seem to me Death incarnate/Raper of life, killer of love". It's impossible to not bang your head to the opening track or, say, "Said And Done" which is absolutely chilling in how good it is.

But then it turns into why I hate sludge metal. Instead of going for balls-out heaviness, it kinda turns into some droning psych-metal thing. Not unlike a heavy version of Pink Floyd (whom they cover!). I guess that's some people's thing, but it's not mine. I want this album to be so, so much higher on my list. I'm sorry Nat.

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26.

Obituary - Darkest Day
June 30th
Highlights: Lost Inside, Payback

If you didn't like Xectuioner's Return, Darkest Day isn't going to convince you. It's mostly Xecutioner's Return Pt. II, but long-time Obituary fans will probably find it more appealing than the album before it, but just by a smidge. It has the fast songs (at least fast by Obituary's standards), and it has the slow-paced songs that John Tardy is famous for. But that's about it. Again, you're kind of slow if you come into a recent Obituary album expecting it to show you things you've never seen before. But Obituary is sort of like Motorhead: pretty much the same album, but they keep improving on each album before it and keep churning out solid metal. I just hope they don't turn into that Motorhead formula, but make boring, uninspired metal in the future (see: AC/DC).